


Our Brother

by TheMadHatterOfficial



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Canon Universe, Earthbending & Earthbenders, F/F, F/M, Firebending & Firebenders, Kidnapping, Language, M/M, Original Character(s), Original Male Character - Freeform, Vulgar Language, War, Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 20:11:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13771650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMadHatterOfficial/pseuds/TheMadHatterOfficial
Summary: Eight years ago, Yuka, Son of Kya and Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe was kidnapped from his village for being a waterbender. His family was broken, resulting in a catatonic mother and absent father and his siblings left behind. Now, his little sister Katara is the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe and his twin brother Sokka is left to protect the village.A hundred years into the war, Katara and Sokka find a young airbender in the ice. They join him on a quest to take down the Firelord, set to avenge for their dead brother.But why do people keep calling Sokka 'Blue'?





	1. Introduction

Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe would never forget the day the Fire Nation invaded his home.

He remembered that morning, watching his children play. Katara was giggling uncontrollably as her older brothers roughly played in the snow. Many days, he could not tell his sons apart, other than the bending. Yuka, mere minutes younger than his twin Sokka, was extremely fond of bending the snow into Sokka’s face and down the back of his parka. Katara often followed by example, and that led to too many headaches.

When the black snow fell, Katara dropped the rather large amount of snow she was holding in the air. She looked to her brothers before Sokka ran off with the warriors and Yuka gripped her arm and ran for the houses.

Later, as the fire nation soldiers retreated, he would only feel the barest second of relief before his heart dropped through his stomach.

Chief Hakoda would never forget his wife’s screams as she ran towards the ship. Tears pouring down her cheeks as his young daughter chased after her.

He would never forget seeing his son being dragged away from him within the confines of a net. Like he were a mere fish. A simple inconvenience at worst to the ruthless naval soldiers.

It was Yuka. It could not have been Sokka. They wouldn’t’ve bothered with a non-bending child.

It was Yuka.

/ / /

The loss of her son completely destroyed Kya. She had tried to offer herself, but Yuka had thrown himself between the soldier and his mother. He’d hidden Katara in Bato’s empty igloo under a mound of furs and coverings before running home. From what Kya said it had taken five different soldiers to subdue Yuka, but all she remembered was grabbing hold of the leader’s arm and pulling before she was knocked unconscious.

It changed his children as well. Katara had watched fire nation soldiers mutilate her mother’s arms almost beyond recognition before they dragged her big brother away like some common beast caught in a trap. And after Kya became nearly catatonic, she took on a mothering and protective role within the family.

Sokka… Sokka become obsessed. He trained with the men every second he could, ready for the day to get his brother’s revenge. It was unhealthy. Chief Hakoda knew this. But he couldn’t blame his son in the slightest. He himself was experiencing incredibly similar emotions. And being an adult, hardly understanding any of these… these vicious thoughts and feelings welling up in his spirit, he couldn’t imagine being a child and being so overwhelmed by pain and grief. Chief Hakoda felt so much inadequacy, unable to protect his own son. How could he not protect him? How could he leave his wife and children to fend for themselves, when two of which were wanted by the fire nation for the mere curse of genetics? For being waterbenders?

Not a year later, Hakoda was gone. He left with the men to join in the war and to avenge his lost child.

He knew he shouldn’t have. His wife had not spoken three words to anyone since That Day, except for during the screaming matches between them that echoed around the village. Katara had tried to speak about Yuka in the beginning, but one day she had stopped altogether. Hakoda did not know why, and he didn’t ask. Sokka withdrew almost completely and didn’t say Yuka’s name again.

Except for the day Hakoda left.

Sokka had tried to follow, war paint and all. And when Hakoda told him to stay, to protect his sister, came the heartbreaking response “but I couldn’t even protect Yuka, dad! I can’t protect Katara all on my own!”

It was one of the first times he’d seen Sokka cry since he was a baby, much less openly – brokenly – sob within his arms.

And Chief Hakoda still left.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom?"

Katara knelt by Kya's side in their small home. It had felt empty for almost as long as Katara could remember. Everything kind of just... fell into a lull after the day the fire nation navy landed on their shores. Her mother especially. Katara could recall her memories with Yuka more clearly than most others. Those were what she clung to now that her family had split up for the most part. Dad was in the war, Mom barely moved, and Sokka had pulled away and obsessed over training the kids of the village. At least Gran Gran was still the same, if not a bit more solemn. She had become more of a mother to Katara than Kya had been in years.

As usual, Kya didn't even bother to look up at her daughter's voice. Her head stayed bowed, limp brown hair hanging around her pale face. In her hands was a small worn blue ribbon with a few cracked beads tied on it. It was one of the few things that kept Kya's attention.

"Mom, Sokka and I are going to go see if we can catch something on the boat. Did you hear me mom?"

Kya twirled one of the beads on the ribbon.

It was the tie that Yuka had used to pull his hair back. It had been ripped from his wolftail the day he was taken, and the beads with it. Yuka had worn the beads like their father had worn his, though usually in the hair hanging from the tail.

The young girl puffed out a breath in annoyance. She understood her mother's grief. Everyones'. Katara had lost a brother, for spirits' sakes. Another waterbender. And now she was alone in this.

The dark blue front hangings parted around Katara as she walked out. She could feel the snow crush underfoot and hear the rumble of voices in the village get softer and quieter as she stomped her way to where Sokka had tied up their canoe. Fishing and hunting were some of the very few things that Sokka still voluntarily did with his sister. Mostly he trained himself, trained the little kids, and tried to keep the village running with Gran Gran.

And worked on his stupid watchtower.

When Katara got to the canoe, Sokka was stretching exaggeratedly. She huffed a laugh as he started making 'macho faces' at himself in the water's reflection and flexing his arms, even though you couldn't see it through his thick parka.

"Guess the training is working, huh?"

Sokka let out a yelp before turning on his heel to face his little sister. "Of course it is! Why wouldn't it?"

Katara giggled lightly and shook her head. She began to ready the canoe. "Come on, O Brave Muscle Man. We should get to the fish before the seal-leopards do. Spirits know we need as many chances as we can get."

"Hey!" Sokka's voice cracked dramatically. Sokka coughed and lowered his voice a few octaves. "I'll have you know that I'm an amazing fisher! The best in the village, in fact!"

"Wow. And with such stiff competition."

"Shut up Katara!"

/        /        /

_**CRACK** _

*"Ever since Mom checked out, _I've_ been doing all the work around camp while _you've_ been off playing _soldier_! I've even washed all of the clothes! Have you ever _smelled_ your dirty socks?! Let me tell you - _not. Pleasant_!"

Sokka's eyes widened as with his sister's arm movements the ice behind her shifted and crackled violently.

" _Katara_! Settle _down_!"

" _No_! That's _it_ ; I'm _done_ helping you! From now on, you're on your _own_!"

As the waves pushed the ice's two inhabitants back, Sokka began his snarky commentary once more. Before they could get too far, deep in the freezing oceans came an unnatural glow.

/        /        /

Later at the village, after Aang had been introduced in the most awkward way he could imagine, he was left alone in a tiny makeshift home that was unoccupied at the moment. It was cold in the South Pole, though Aang was able to keep warm with breathing techniques taught to him by the monks. A pang of something went through Aang's chest, clogged his throat and make it more difficult to breathe. He'd left his home behind without telling anyone, and already he missed Gyatso. But it would be alright soon, he'd go back and apologize whilst still refusing to leave the temple he'd grown up in. Maybe Gyatso would show him that pie trick again.

After thinking on it for a little longer, Aang set out to find that really pretty girl that had broken him out of the ice. K-something. He really had to remember that name, especially if he would have any chance to convince her to go penguin sledding together.

When he entered the biggest igloo in the village - K-something's brother had mentioned something about being the Chief's children and that being why their home was slightly larger than the others - Aang expected the girl to be there doing something. Maybe just waking up or reading or something of the sort. But she wasn't. Sitting against the side of the home was a woman who looked remarkably like Katara but much much older. She had the same brown hair as nearly everyone else in the village, hanging limply around her face as empty blue eyes stared down at something cradled in her lap. It unnerved Aang, quite a bit, to see someone alive giving one convincing performance of a dead person.

"Um. Hi! I didn't see you earlier when I got introduced to everyone else, but I'm Aang. But maybe someone told you. Um." Aang gave small nervous laugh and scratched at the back of his neck nervously. "I thought I might find a girl I met earlier in here. I don't really remember her name, but it's like Kar- Ka- whatever. She has these hair loopies things. Do you know her?"

The woman didn't so much as twitch at his voice or his nervous chatter. Her attention was solely down in her lap.

"Rrrrrrr _ight_. Um. Yeah, sorry to bother you," Aang murmured as he slowly made his way towards the flaps of the house. "But uh, if you see her, ca-" Aang fell forward as someone shoved through the doorway, face full of righteous fury. It was the boy that found him with his sister, and he looked murderous.

"What are you doing in my house?!" He towered over Aang, club clutched in his fist. He stepped forward and Aang moved to scramble back, but the boy had already stomped on his clothing and dropped to the ground to shove his forearm into Aang's throat and raise the club menacingly. Aang hadn't thought the boy could be in any way frightening.

He was so wrong.

_This is how I die._

"Fire Nation spy! I fucking knew it! Haven't you already taken enough?!" Aang choked as the boy's forearm pressed harder to his neck. He tried to yell out as the boy's knee dug into his rib cage ~~purposely~~ _painfully_.

"Sokka! _Stop_!"

A torrent of snow ambushed the house as the boy - Sokka - was bodily shoved from Aang by the small avalanche. The girl ran forward to help Aang sit up as he coughed forcefully.

"Katara, you can't really be _siding with him_! He broke into our home with mom inside! He's a spy for the Fire Nation!"

"He's a kid, Sokka!"

"He could have hurt mom!"

That one gave Katara pause, looking from the young airbender to her fragile mother who still leaned against the side of their home, now white-knuckling the string of beads in her hands.

Katara bit the inside of her cheek nervously. If he had been a spy, he would have hurt her mom before any of them had gotten there. But one could never know with the Fire Nation. They could be playing a cruel cruel trick, toying with their emotions just because.

"What were you doing in here?" Katara asked softly, but not gently. There was a sharpness in her eyes that put Aang as much on edge as he'd felt when Sokka was choking him on the ground.

Aang rushed to answer. "I was looking for you!"

"Why?"

With a small stutter, Aang answered, "I wanted to ask you to go penguin sledding with me! Like I said before! I thought maybe you'd be here, because Sokka said you were the Chief's kids and I kinda assumed that you'd be in the biggest house. Um. Is this a house? I don't really know what to call it..."

"You can't seriously be buying this?! Katara!"

Katara sighed heavily - wearily. "Come on Aang."

As Aang scrambled to his feet Sokka gave a shout of frustration and tore a bit at his hair. " _Katara_! You're-"

" _I'm not stupid, Sokka_!" Katara suddenly screamed back, halting Aang as he skipped back to give the two siblings room. "I know what I'm doing! You may think I'm naive, fine! But I have hope for a better future, and alienating every person outside of the tribe is not going to keep us safe! It's making us an easier target."

"I am _not_ alienating the world! I just find it a _little bit suspicious_ that a twelve year old kid - sorry, _airbending_ kid - somehow survived in a block of ice with some giant ten ton fluff monster! And now he's skulking around the village, sneaking into our home and coming _this close_ to our fucking mom! She can't fucking protect herself!"

Aang winced slightly as Sokka's voice cracked desperately. And now that he'd noticed, Sokka had inched closer to his mother, standing between her and Aang.

Katara's fists clenched and unconciously compacting the snow she'd bended earlier into a more compact sphere. "Sometimes you have to trust things Sokka! People! You're so isolated you immediately jump to every bad conclusion in the book! You're going to have to accept and move on that Y-"

"Get out."

Katara pulled up short when she saw the dangerous glint in Sokka's eyes. Challenging her to keep going. Muscles coiled and jaw set.

And it seemed that Katara could see that she'd crossed some kind of line that Aang had no knowledge of. "So-"

"Get. Out."

"S-"

" _Now, Katara_!"

Katara jumped and grabbed Aang's wrist before he could protest and they rushed away from the prying eyes of the village. Aang could see tears glistening in his new companion's eyes, but waited until they were a ways away from everyone to pull her to a stop.

"Sorry you had to see that. And for my brother almost killing you."

"Oh, um, that's alright. He was upset, I guess."

"Still. That's no use to respond with immediate violence."

Aang smiled softly. "The monks always taught us that violence was an absolute last resort. But he was scared, and trying to protect his - uh, _your_ \- mom?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah, that was my mother. Kya. Not so much a mother anymore since..."

Quietly, Katara sighed and chewed her lip. She hadn't talked about him in what felt like forever. It still hurt so much. She had no idea what torment he'd suffered through before meeting his end, because what other way out was there for a seven year old waterbender in a Fire Nation prison? Hot anger filled her veins whenever she allowed her mind to drift so far, overpowering the grief and the debilitating sadness and the pure _longing_ she felt to have him by her side again. Another of her kind, a bender to learn and grow with. Her _big brother_.

"Since what?"

Meeting Aang's eyes Katara felt as though he was being so genuinely honest and open that she could have told him anything at that point.

And she did.

"Since the Fire Nation's last raid," Katara murmured quietly. The wind blew past in a frigid blast of cold air that had Katara's nose and cheeks flushing slightly. "They somehow found out that there was a bender in the tribe. They came for them."

"They came for _you_ ," Aang whispered in shock.

But Katara shook her head. "They came for _a_ waterbender. Not me specifically." Katara took a steadying breath. She had never told this story to anyone, because everyone she knew already knew it, and knew it well. "There were two of us. When they came onto our land, my brother hid me in another's home and ran to our mother. He told me not to mo-" when Katara's voice cracked, she wiped her cheeks, took another breath, and continued, "he told me not to move no matter what and that I would be safe. He kissed my cheek and left. A few minutes later, there was yelling, and my mother screaming. She wouldn't stop screaming, and by the time I went outside to help or something and my mother was burned in the snow, my brother being dragged away in some kind of fishing net. And I never saw him again."

Aang swallowed thickly and shook his head. "Sokka-"

Katara shook her head sharply and wiped her cheeks again. "Not Sokka. He was with the warriors. My other brother, Sokka's twin. They looked exactly alike."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Katara said, biting out a harsh laugh. "It's a lot. That's what I almost brought up in the tent, when Sokka interrupted and told us to get out. He doesn't respond well to anyone mentioning him, and neither does my mom or Gran Gran. Or anyone in the village, really. So it's be better not to say anything about him to anyone. Okay?"

Aang nodded quickly. "Yeah, of course. That's none of my business."

"Thank you, Aang."

"I just can't believe that the Fire Nation could have done something so terrible. _Disgusting_ , actually. I have friends all over the Fire Nation, and none of them are like that." His voice reflected so much hurt and confusion that it startled them both.

Katara gave him a strange look before shaking her head and deciding to bring it up later. "Well, they did." Katara turned and started walking again with Aang in tow.

"Now," she mischeviously whispered, "you said something about penguins?"

Aang's entire face lit up. "Yeah! Oh man, this is going to be _great_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The only part I didn't write was when Katara cracked the ice. That was straight from the episode


	3. Chapter 3

_ 100 years. _

Aang laid against Appa's side, staring out into the freezing ocean under a bright sky. He couldn't imagine how much the world had changed. How hurt Gyatso and his friends must have been when he never turned up or returned home. Not that his friends would care as much as they did before they discovered that he was the Avatar, but he was sure that they still cared. It made his chest seize up and made it harder to breathe when Aang chose to dwell on those thoughts, especially when they turned more than a little morbid. Imagining them searching for months or even years, eventually planning a funeral and then forgetting him as they grew older and continued their lives. About how confused the world must have been when the next Avatar didn't show up, probably resigning themselves to a hopeless world.

Maybe that's why the Fire Nation attacked. Because there was no Avatar to stop them.

Oh, spirits. _ Did they attack Air Nation? _

Aang jumped up as his chest tightened even more and it felt as though Appa had sat full-bodied on his torso. The air became too cold, too sharp, too thin.

Appa growled and nudged Aang's side.

When Aang turned around he was already bending himself onto Appa's head, hands clenched around the reins. "C'mon buddy it's time to go ho-"

Aang's words abruptly stopped when he saw a dark shape gliding through the Pole's icy waters. It took Aang a mere few seconds to place where he'd seen such ships. The model had changed quite a bit in the last decade, but the core design was the same. Fire Nation.

Katara's words came back to him, about her lost brother. That woman - Kya - with her eyes glazed and empty. Sokka's overwhelming anger that bared its teeth and clamped down on Aang's throat.

"Home will have to wait. Appa, yip yip."

/          /          /

"You're going to need these."

Katara looked up at her Gran Gran, smiling brilliantly as she launched forward to pull her into a bone-crushing hug. The sleeping bags fell into the snow as Kanna hugged her granddaughter back with equal, if not tighter, force.

All that Katara could do was breathe in her grandmother's scent. It was as calming as ever, and reminded her of when she was little and would snuggle up close when her father was off with the men of the tribe and her mother and brother both emotionally unavailable. It was known that Katara had her mother's looks, her voice, her temper, and countless other traits. It was also well-known that Sokka always did his best to replicate the Chief in every way he could. But anyone who knew their small family intimately enough knew that Sokka was his mother's son through and through. The same knife-quick humor and over-confident personality. Quick to make assumptions and judgments, but just as quick to admit their faults and their wrongs.

At least before. Sokka was still that way, if a bit more closed off. But Kya...

Kanna was Katara's  _ world _ . She had nothing but respect for the beautifully amazing woman who had taken over raising Katara and her brother. It would be the hardest goodbye, and Katara felt the tears stinging harshly at her eyes. She would miss her so much.

"I love you, Gran Gran."

"And I love you, my beautiful girl." The sound of snow crunched behind Katara and she could hear the fondness in her grandmother's voice as she spoke again. "And I love you too, Sokka. Come here."

One of Gran Gran's arms opened and Katara felt the solid weight of her brother at her side with one arm around Kanna and the other across her back. He squeezed them tight enough that Katara struggled to breathe for a few seconds. She squeezed back just as hard.

After what felt like forever in a minute they all pulled away. Katara didn't realize the tears had escaped until Kanna's glove caught them when they tracked down her cheeks. "This is your path now. Your destinies and the Avatar's are entwined in a way that cannot be undone. You will help him restore balance to the world."

Katara and Sokka exchanged a meaningful look that expressed the same meaning.  _ We're following this through to the end. _

Kanna gave them another smile, loving and proud and pained and so very  _ weary _ . "I have always been so proud of you.  _ All _ of you." Katara and Sokka sucked in a sharp breath, but Kanna kept going. "We all miss Yuka so much. And I know it may not seem like it all the time, but none of us have forgotten him, and we mourn every day without him. And I know how much of that anger and that grief has been kept in our spirits, and how painful it is with every step. But one day, perhaps we will be able to move past this. And you can grow older, accepting that fact that he is gone."

"And  _ forget _ ?"

Katara jumped at the harsh bitterness in Sokka's voice. His eyes were glassy in a way Katara hadn't seen in years.

"Not forget, Sokka." Gran Gran took Sokka's hand and held on tightly. "Move on."

It was silent as Kanna gave one last proud smile before turning and making her way back to the village.

"We're never catching up to the ship with that."

Right on cue, there was a loud groan from over the hill and Katara turned with a blinding grin. "Appa!"

"You just  _ love _ taking me out of my comfort zone, don't you?"

/          /         /

Prince Zuko was an angry looking man. Kid. Teenager, actually. Aang thought he was about Sokka's age or close to. The huge burn mark crinkled when he scowled and the hair pulled into a severe topknot atop his head didn't help with the menacing demeanor he put off. Aang always tried not to let first impressions shape his view on anything, but it was hard not to. Especially when this kid invaded a helpless village and thretened those who couldn't protect themselves. Especially knowing what this powerful, passionate country had used their passion for, exactly.

No, Aang didn't like Prince Zuko at all.

But, no matter. These people hadn't seen an airbender in over a hundred years. And that made things so much easier.

/          /          /

"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"

It was still light out, even though it didn't feel like it should have been. Aang was still rattled with coming so close to the Fire Nation soldiers. He also had a feeling that that Prince wouldn't give up so easily, which made everything so much  _ worse _ .

"Because..."

Aang took a deep breath in, and with it he welcomed the stinging cold air. It woke him up further from the daze that the Avatar State tended to bring - from what he had gathered from all of the two times he'd entered it. Memories of the monks of the Southern Temple rattled his brain and made his heart pound, and it felt like his rib cage was either ready to constrict and suffocate him or fall apart completely. Memories of running away, the storm, Appa groaning as they sunk further and further into the roiling waves of an endless dark ocean, water filling his lungs, he was scared and helpless and alone and _ Spirits, he couldn't  _ **_breathe_ ** -

"Because I never wanted to be."

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot right now is following what actually happened in the show, but I added more about what everyone would be thinking/feeling because I'm such a slut for angst and can't stop myself, but eventually (soon, yay) it'll break off more into AU (slight AU whatever). Thank you for reading!

*"Look! The Battola Mountain Range! We're almost there!"

"Hopefully they'll have some food stashed somewhere since _someone_ \- not pointing any fingers here - used up  _all_ of my blubbered seal jerky for a campfire."

"Hey, I said I was _sorry_ -"

"Aang," Katara interjected gently, lowering her voice, "before we get there, I wanna talk to you about the airbenders."

Aang glanced over towards his new (friend? Yeah, friend) friend before turning back towards the mountain range in excitement. He gripped Appa's reins tighter until his knuckles paled and ached. _Home._

"What about them?"

"I just want you to be prepared for what might be there. The Fire Nation - they're ruthless. I mean... you saw my mom. They things they've done-"

"Just assume the worst," Sokka cut in sharply, halting whatever his younger sister was going to say. He didn't want to think about it.

Katara sighed and glanced down before looking towards the young Avatar with new resolve with icy blue eyes solemn and understanding. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up. No one has seen an airbender in over a hundred years."

All that echoed was the rushing wind for a few seconds before Aang turned his blinding smile back towards Katara. "Just because no one has _seen_ an airbender in over a hundred years, doesn't mean that they're all gone. They're probably just hiding." _They have to be. Please, please let me be right. Please,_ please _, please-_ "Besides, the only way to get to the temples is with a flying bison, and I _doubt_ the Fire Nation has any of those lying around. Right, buddy?"

Aang didn't look away from his destination as he urged on his companion, missing the significant look shared between his new Water Tribe friends. His stomach had tightened further and further until it felt like a rock had settled deep in his stomach. Even in the soft wind, it was getting harder to catch his breath with every second that brought them closer to home.

_Please, I can't be alone. I can't be the last one._

/          /          /

Sokka took a deep breath, looking out over the cliff face behind Aang. There was a pang in his chest hearing this young kid trail off about people he'd once know, and how even if they weren't killed by the Fire Nation, old age would have them crippled or a few feet under by now. He was so bright, so happy. Eager to get along with everyone and from what he could tell already, preferred peace to violence. It reminded him a tiny bit of Katara, but so much like his brother. He could remember when they were all little, and how much Sokka wished Katara would leave them alone because she was a _baby_ , and a _girl_ , and was a nagging little tag-along that slowed down their adventures and disrupted their manly bonding. But his brother was always happy to spend time with anyone in the village. So welcoming and hyper, quick smiles and mischievous grins and would never say anything mean to anyone but when it was just the two of them he made sly digs that had Sokka laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe, and one memorable time he laughed so hard he had to run outside to throw up their dinner.

He didn't have a little brother anymore. That was a reoccurring thought that had never left him alone. Another year and Sokka will have lived as much of his life _without_ his brother as he had _with_ him, and fuck if that didn't scare the _shit_ out of him. Sokka was sure that if his brother's face didn't stare at him every time he looked at his own reflection, he would have forgotten what he even looked like. It was both a saving grace and a walking nightmare.

But here was this kid who had lost _so much more_ than Sokka ever would. His friends, his family, his home and history and culture all wiped from the face of the planet because of one man's egotistical dream to become something bigger than he ever would be.

Sokka didn't believe in fate, or destiny, or water magic, or any of that crap. But _maybe_ , maybe for a second he could believe this was some sympathetic spirit's way of giving him a second chance. A chance to protect this kid like he couldn't protect his own family.

"So, how do you play this Airball game thingy?"

And man, was that grin worth more than he could explain.

/          /          /

**"Once I am on my merry way, the guards will release you to do... whatever it is you plan on doing."

"Why? Scared that I'll catch him first?"

Zhao's laughter echoed maliciously, only furthering Zuko's temper into a burning in his chest that he couldn't beat down.

"You? _Please_. I have hundreds of warships at my command and you... you're nothing more than a _banished prince_."

Zuko's lip curled involuntarily as he gripped the arms of his seat. How _dare_ this man, Commander or not, speak this way to a prince of the Fire Nation? He was nothing but a glorified attention whore, using whatever cruel tricks he could to slither up the ranks. There were near a dozen rumors about the ways Zhao had ~~forced~~ _persuaded_ higher ups into giving him whatever riches or powers he wanted. Whether it was murder, torture, or literal whoring to get his way, Zuko wouldn't rule out any of them.

"How dare you speak to me this way!"

"Really?" Zhao gave another deprecating chuckle aimed towards the young teenager. "You don't have anything. No home, no allies, even that little friend of yours that used to follow you around like a lost polar bear puppy has left you. Your own _father_ doesn't even want you."

 "You're wrong! Once I return the Avatar my father will restore my rightful place on the throne, and welcome me back with honor."

"Am I? If he actually cared for you, he would have welcomed you home by now, Avatar or no Avatar. Instead he's left you homeless, abandoned and marked as a traitor with that _fairly_ impressive scar to show for it."

Zuko lept from his place, face inches away from Zhao's. " _Maybe you'd like one to match_!"

"Is that a challege?"

"Zuko!" Iroh warned, but was too late.

"An Agni Kai, at sunset."

Zhao pulled back with a mocking twist of his mouth, pretending to pull it over before narrowing his eyes. "Fine." As Zhao began to walk away, he paused. "Shame that your father won't be here to see me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do."

When they were alone in the tent Iroh turned to his nephew in horror. " _Zuko_ ," he gasped, "do you remember the last time you faced someone in Agni Kai?"

The young prince's eyes closed for a moment before they opened, and for some inexplicable reason the scar seemed so much bigger to him at this time. He could feel the tough skin pulling uncomfortably and the faint aching sting that had been present months after it had fully healed. A flash of heat pulled at Zuko's memory before he batted it away roughly.

"I'll _never_ forget."

/          /          /

Aang laughed as he chased the little lemur under the folds of the small building. Distantly he registered it as a small private mediation area, but he was too focused on catching the animal before Sokka tried to eat him.

"Hey little guy, don't worry, you won't have to worry about that hungry guy any more."

Through another hanging, and Aang's thoughts faltered before slowing to a standstill.

Piles upon piles of Fire Nation bones still wearing their uniforms littered the entirety of the snow-covered floor, cracked and broken. The roof was half-destroyed, like it had burned brightly as it fell. Aang's breathing caught, all these people...

And at the head of the massacre sat a full skeleton leaning against the wall and sitting on a throne of snow. Yellow and orange clothes torn and singed but still clinging to the lifeless form. Aang's eyes couldn't tear themselves away, locking onto the wooden necklace locked around who it once was. It was too achingly familiar not to place immediately.

" _Gyatso_."

No, Aang had just seen him a week ago. Or, maybe it was _two_ weeks. He had just been with Gyatso, laughing in a room a few stories above them, not even a minute away. He was laughing and baking pies and playing Pai Sho and _hey, you can't airbend me that's_ cheating _, Gyatso-_

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't _breathe_. Aang's legs gave out with absolutely zero warning and he gasped as the freezing stone made harsh contact with his knees. For once Aang didn't use his breathing to keep warm - he just let the cold seep through his thin clothes and into the very core of him. It was too much, it was too much, he was _just here_ , showing the other kids how to ride an air scooter and _oh, Spirits, they're gone too._ They've been gone for a hundred years, and they died alone and Aang should've been here to _save_ them, _fuck_. He was the Avatar and he had failed before he'd begun, he'd failed, he'd failed, he'd _failed, he'd failed, he'd fai-_

"Hey Aang, did you find my dinner?"

A sob ripped through Aang before he could stop it. Not that he would have. It hurt so much. Aang had switched to not breathing at all to gasping too quickly, taking too much air into his lungs and that might have been worse, because he still couldn't breathe. Everything was heavy and it was slowing down time and he couldn't find the surface, it was too dark and the water was filling his mouth and his lungs and beating him over and over again and Appa, Appa where was he?

"Listen, I wasn't really... oh man."

A hand on his shoulder, pulling at him insistently. "Man, it'll be okay Aang. C'mon - let's get out of here."

He couldn't leave. Not again. That's _why_ this happened: he left and now everyone was gone, and Aang was _alone_ , so alone and all he wanted was for Gyatso to pull him in close and smooth a hand down his back like he'd done when he was little and tell him it was okay, that it was a bad dream and that he'd always be there...

But now he wouldn't.

And everything _glowed_.

/          /          /

"I know how hard it is to lose someone you love!"

Air whooshed around the pair of siblings as Aang went higher and higher. At this rate, he would take down the whole mountain with them in it.

"I went through the same thing when I lost my brother. He was taken, and I don't know what happened to him, or if he was scared and confused and all alone in a strange place far from home, or if he didn't make it out of the Pole. But he hasn't left me! Not where it matters! Just like Gyatso hasn't left you. We've lost our families, but we're your family now! Please, Aang, please calm down. It'll be okay, I promise. _Please_ , Aang."

And when Aang finally came down from the Avatar State, Katara was right there with her arms around him humming soft words and a hand smoothing itself down his back.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Diologue is almost word for word what was said when the GAang was traveling to the Southern Temple on Appa  
> **Same as above, only in the tent when Zuko and Iroh stopped in Zhao's harbor or whatever it was
> 
> Also, I didn't include a lot of the harbor because what happened is pretty much the same as what happened in the show and it doesn't make sense to rehash that if everyone already knows what happened.


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko stayed as silent as he could as he made his way through the echoing metal room. His bright golden eyes widened in wonder as he took in cages upon cages, mostly empty but for dried blood on a large number of the floors and metal bars. They were rusted and smelled of iron. They were all along the floor in neat order, some mounted on the walls, others hanging from the ceiling. It reminded Zuko of the circus his cousin had once brought him to late at night. They had these beautiful fire phoenixes trapped within, chirping songs that echoed and enchanted him as a young child.

Minutes or hours of wandering went by. Zuko paid no mind as the knowledge of what these cages were used for weighed heavy on his young mind. He remembered what it was like when Azula or his father would lock him in dark closets all alone until Mother or Lu Ten would let him out. How many people who stayed here were scared like that?

Zuko had to pause and close his eyes. These people were the enemies. They were going to hurt the Fire Nation, his people, his _family_. There was no room for sympathy aimed at them. Monsters. All of them.

As Zuko walked further through, humming an old lullaby his nursemaid had sang to him and Azula when they were small, moonlight shone through the bars on the tiny windows several feet higher than what any human could reach. It was then, when he could see better, that movement behind him caught Zuko's eye. He spun on his heel, arms quick to jerk up into a clumsy dueling stance.

It was confined in once of the cages he'd just passed. A small form in dark red prisoners' clothes, dark hair lobbed off crooked and messily, barely brushing his ears. Their skin was darker than normal in Caldera City, and was fascinating to Zuko beyond comprehension. Of course there were be people with skin like that in the Fire Nation, and he'd even seen one or two, but they were few and far in between. More common in the colonies and outlying islands. And Zuko had never left Caldera, other than to Ember Island on the rare occasion in the summertime.

Zuko dared to inch closer. As he did, the small thing flinched so violently Zuko nearly jumped out of his skin as it scrambled to the furthest corner of its cage, curled up with arms braced before its face. Zuko noted the thin wrists that were nothing but bones protruding from flesh. They were so small, Zuko thought that they may be hollow - like a tiny bird's. Zuko wouldn't be surprised that if the little thing moved too abruptly every one of its brittle bones would snap like a band.

All thoughts of these people being prisoners vanished from his mind as Zuko crouched slightly with his palms up and empty. "Uh... sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

The thing - _person_ \- flinched again and pressed as far back as it could.

"Don't be afraid! Oh, I shouldn't yell. Um..." Zuko quickly lowed his voice to a soft murmur, like Lu Ten did when Father had scolded him for whatever he had done that day and Mother was busy having 'quiet time'. "It's okay. I'm not, like, here to hurt you. Or something."

The person hesitated when lowering their arms as Zuko walked forward slowly, palms still up. As if trying not to frighten a tiny animal. Which was what he was basically doing.

"My name's Zuko. I didn't think anyone was here."

Finally, as Zuko was in front of the cage, the person lowered their arms until they were resting on their curled up knees. They looked up with big blue eyes, glistening with tears that had yet to spill over.

Zuko was shocked to see that he was a child. They were probably about the same age even though he was so skinny it hurt Zuko to look at. The bones of his wrist stretched his dark skin taut and Zuko was sure he could wrap his fingers around his forearm and have his thumb and middle finger touch. He was like a ghost.

 _He looked so scared_ , Zuko thought.

"Please don't be scared."

The boy's eyebrows pulled together and his head tilted. It seemed as though he was looking straight into Zuko's soul, and that unnerved him a bit, but not enough to back away.

"What's your name?"

The boy's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"You won't tell me?"

Another shake.

"Oh."

Of course this boy wouldn't want to talk to him. None of the other kids ever did either, and if any did, Azula or his father would scare them away. But why would they have wanted to talk to him in the first place, let alone be his friend? He wasn't smart, or clever, or funny or good at bending. And he hardly ever left the palace without a hoard of guards so there was no chance to make friends away from his family.

They both jolted as a door clanged and the sound of guards talking and laughing echoed. Zuko and the boy locked eyes for a split second before Zuko jumped to his feet, not noticing how the boy flinched again violently.

"I have to go," Zuko whispered and crouched lower. He gave a tentative smile towards the small child. "I'll come back: I _promise_."

Zuko dashed off, unnoticed by the Imperial Guard that marched on through the parade of prison cages.

The boy stayed silent.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We follow the GAang through their meeting with the King of Omashu and meet a young earthbending kid in one of the poorer cities. And as they meet new people, they mistake Sokka for someone else more than one would think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We skip Warriors of Kyoshi because everything's the same and I'm focusing more on the AU part of this story

The feast thrown by the Omashu king was a strange turn of events that no one had expected in the least. The old man's face was wrinkled and sagging, uneven eyes scanning the trio skeptically with a spark of something shining in them. Indifferent towards Katara, he had skipped over her often enough when speaking. The stranger of it was that even though most of his attention was directed towards Aang (it usually was, with his bald head and monk tattoos glaringly _different_ than 'normal') he gave a good number of what seemed to be significant looks towards Sokka. He'd make sly remarks and frown when Sokka only shrugged or tilt his head in confusion.

"Oh, no," the King said with a frown behind them as Sokka reached out for a pie. "You don't want to eat that, child."

Sokka's eyebrows pulled together. "W-Why?"

"That there's a _meat_ pie," the King replied simply, reaching for his own pie in front of him. "I don't think that'll go down well with you."

"Oh, Sokka's not a vegetarian," Aang cut in innocently. "I mean, _I_ am, but they aren't."

The long white eyebrow raised dramatically as the King focused on the young tribesman. "Sokka, is it?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmm, my mistake, I took you to be someone else I knew," the King said with a raucous cackle. "You know, you aren't very like him, I'm not sure why I thought you as him. Must be my old age getting to me, eh?"

The trio looked to each other and shrugged whilst the Omashu King continued laughing. Sokka reached for the pie again and dug in.

The King glided in his hunched over way to the other end of the large, ornate table. "So, tell me young bald one." The King sat in his seat and gave a manic smile. "Where are you from?"

 

/          /          /

 

Their whole stay, Sokka couldn't shake off the feeling that the King was staring at him the entire time. Usually, the old man acted every bit of crazy that he looked. And no doubt that he had a good dose of his sanity missing. But every once in a while, Sokka caught a strange expression taking over the King. As if he wasn't as far gone as he seemed. Like he was _calculating_.

Sokka didn't like it one bit.

But of course, Aang and Katara didn't believe him. They never did. They bought into the charade as much as the next person without considering that people weren't just one thing. They lied, and stole, and cheated and manipulated their ways through life. Katara had so much faith in humanity as a whole she often ignored the fact that not everyone upheld the strict moral codes that she lived her life by. Which was why he had to protect her.

By the time Avatar and Co. left Omashu, Sokka was still trying to explain that there was more to what happened than Aang and Katara would believe. And now, if it wasn't that Bumi was manipulative, it was because he was Aang's friend and that 'he would never do anything to hurt someone' and 'you're just being paranoid Sokka' and 'I feel like that jennamite might have squeezed you head a little too hard Sokka'.

Sokka's teeth ground together tightly as he sat in the back of Appa's saddle with his arms crossed and muttering incoherently to himself.

The sound of laughter echoed on the wind as they glided their way from Omashu. Momo flitted around, sometimes flying alongside Appa, other times rifling through the packs for food.

Some time after departing, the small lemur made his way to Sokka and chittered questioningly.

Despite his mood, Sokka reached out to pick up Momo and settled him in his lap. Momo sighed, holding Sokka's finger tightly and pressing his lithe little body further into the young man. Sokka gave a tired smile and looked back to the rapidly darkening sky.

Bumi wasn't crazy. He wasn't confused. He knew every little detail to make his plan go right, had it laid out perfectly. He'd recognized Aang in a heartbeat, even through a hundred years and the impossibility that he was irrevocably unchanged in the physical and emotional sense, even after a century of war.

So who had he thought that Sokka was?

 

/            /          /

 

*"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father."

Haru nodded and gave a wry smile. "That's okay. It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store? It reminded me of him."

Katara smiled. "I take it that that's a good thing?"

"A very good thing."

Katara grinned. "Thanks."

Another smile as Katara and Haru looked over the cliff face and into the darkness. "My father was very courageous. When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one. But they fought back anyway."

Katara nodded, feeling an ache in her chest. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going. "He sounds like a great man."

"After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earthbender, and took them away." Haru knelt to the ground before sitting cross-legged. "We haven't seen them since."

"So that's why you hide your earthbending," Katara murmured as she sat next to the young man.

"Yeah. Problem is ..." Haru paused as he lifted two small stones into his palm and spun them above his skin. "...the only way I can feel close to my father now] is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know." Haru crushed the stones in hand, letting the wind carry away the dust left behind.*

Silence echoed for a few minutes, the calm setting over them like a blanket. The air was thick with smog from Fire Nation factories and vehicles carving their way into the ground. It was an unfortunately familiar scent by now for the both of them.

Katara glanced up, holding the pendant on her mother's necklace tightly between her fingertips. "I know how it feels."

"Huh?"

"My brother was taken by Fire Nation soldiers during a raid for waterbenders."

Haru's mouth gaped in a way that would have had Katara laughing if not for the subject of their conversation. "How did you get him back?"

The young girl's eyebrows pulled together before she understand and shook her head. "Not Sokka. I used to have another brother."

Haru winced and bit his lip. "Sorry, I-"

" _No_ , don't be," Katara cut in quickly. "You didn't know."

The two were quiet again before Haru spoke softly. "Why are you still here, then? Why didn't they capture you?"

Katara's nose scrunched when she pulled her knees to her chest. "There had been raids years earlier. Everyone had thought that waterbenders were extinct in the South." Katara gave a helpless shrug. "Then the Fire Nation caught wind of a bender being born. They knew there was _one_ , but not about the other. From what I understand, my mom tried to take our place and lied about being a bender, but my brother ran in before they could take her. He'd hidden me in a friend's home so they couldn't find me, and the next thing I know Yuka's bending and fighting and giving it everything he had and my mother was screaming and then... I watched him being dragged away in a fishing net, leaving behind a trail of blood in the snow."

Haru's eyes were wide as Katara's filled with tears. "He was the only one of my kind. When I didn't know what I was doing and was freaking out over cracked ice and tidal waves I couldn't control, he was right there with me wiping my eyes and showing me things he'd taught himself." Katara nodded and swiped her cheeks. "So I know what it's like, to lose someone you look up to and idolize. I know what it's like to feel alone in the way that you do. I know how... how it feels to think that you have all this potential power, and it was completely _useless_ when you needed it most. To absolutely  _hate_ yourself for not being strong enough. To be here when they aren't."

Katara glanced up to see the tears making their way down Haru's face in a torrent of emotion. Katara was able to give a watery smile before tugging him in to sob against her shoulder and hugging him tighter than she could ever remember hugging anyone before.

 

/          /          /

 

Zuko's heavy boots clanged against the metal of the prison ship ominously.

The warden was in hysterics, apologizing over and over to anyone who could listen. Zuko cringed inwardly as he listened to the higher ranking officers dragging the warden away. There was nothing he could do, disgraced as he was, and it truly _was_ his fault that the inmates were able to rise up in a revolution to take back their freedom. Likely, the man would not be heard from again, whether it be from a prison of the metal variety, or that of the unyielding oceans. The thought made Zuko's stomach roil uncomfortably.

Even though he had to hide a small smirk. Of course the Fire Nation's egos would blind them to the strength of their victims.

The sun was setting over the water's horizon. The reflection hit the water in a brilliant glare of colors that gnawed endlessly on the prince's nerves. Zuko wished that he could still say that the colors were of the ugliest variety, but he had since learned a strange respect for them from an unlikely source.

As Zuko walked with his head high and chin tilted forward, the sole on his boot stomped on something softer than the ship's metal. He paused in his path before taking a step back and kneeling down.

Gentle fingers took the delicate blue ribbon in hand as he stood. It took a few short seconds before Zuko could recognize the Water Tribe markings carved in the blue stone and connect it to that which the Water Tribe peasant had worn.

It was strangely foreign and yet somehow achingly familiar to the young prince. He raised his other hand to lay the necklace in his cupped palms and stare in fascination.

In an unwitting action one of Zuko's hands raised up to the high collar of his shirt under his armor. Two of his fingers carefully pulled it down just enough to secretly rest against the soft white ribbon wrapped securely around his throat.

After a few moments, Zuko took a deep breath and pulled his collar back up so the necklace was hidden from sight and clenched his fist around the one still laying in his hand.

All thoughts shoved aside as Zuko finally gave into the smirk he'd been wanted to express.

"I've got you now."

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The dialogue in the asterisks is almost exactly what happened in the episode, just in case anyone thinks I stole it lmao
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

It was a week and a half before Zuko could return to the prison.

The Prince snuck through the long hallways hidden in darkness, soft shoes quiet against the damp and rotting stone and small cloth bag bouncing against his back with every step. Zuko brushed back the ever present hairs that always seemed to find their ways out from his usual phoenix tail. Father could never stand it. It was improper for a member of the royal family to appear as sloppy as he always did - messy hair, crooked robes and shoes that always stained and tattered and dented without Zuko ever knowing how he did it.

_Not one hair out of place._

Zuko scanned the prison, making sure there was no one standing guard. When he deemed it safe, Zuko rushed past the cages upon cages before stopping around the area he thought that the boy was caged.

It only took a moment before he spotted the tiny form of the boy huddled in the corner of the cage. He was just as skinny as Zuko remembered. And just as real.

Admittedly, Zuko had begun to think that he might have imagined it all.

Zuko rushed past a few columns of the cages before slowing to approach the boy. The red of his clothes looked darker in some places, brown hair lighter than Zuko's matted horrendously and glossy with something the prince didn't think was water or juice.

"Hello."

The boy didn't move except for a bit of weak shivering.

"I don't know if you remember, but my name's Zuko. I saw you a week ago."

Zuko bit his lip as the boy kept his head bowed and arms clutched to his chest. Zuko noticed that the pants the boy wore hung low past his bare feet, ripped just above the hem and worn at the knees.

"I brought you some stuff," Zuko whispered quietly.

Zuko pulled the sack from his back slowly in an attempt not to scare the boy. It didn't work, but Zuko gave himself some points for trying.

The young prince pulled open the drawstrings before reaching in for a metal container and a bowl with chopsticks. "I brought some soup," Zuko murmured dejectedly. The boy obviously didn't want to be friends and hated the idea of associating with him. He was the spare, after all. And not a very good one at that. He was sloppy and messy and barely literate, unable to bend a flame longer than a few feeble moments.

A disappointment in every way.

Zuko squeezed the bowl through the bars sideways and scooted forward on his knees to reach inside the cage. The boy squirmed as far as he could away, but he did that at everything so Zuko just continued on with what he was doing.

The young prince opened the container inside the cage to pour into the bowl. He went to quickly and it splashed hotly on his hand and wrist. Zuko sucked in a sharp breath and shook his head. " _Agni_ ," he muttered, banging his head on the bar. _Stupid, stupid._

Zuko continued pouring in the noodles, slower this time.

After finishing, Zuko put the chopsticks into the bowl and pushed it towards the boy. "Sorry I couldn't bring more." Zuko was almost whispering now as he pulled back. He wrapped his knees up to his chest, arms holding his legs together as tightly as he could. "The kitchens would have noticed."

When more than a minute passed without the boy moving, Zuko had to take a deep breath before panicking. He slid back as far as he could before hitting the end of another cage. He buried his head in his knees and took in shuddering breaths, trying not to cry. He couldn't cry. Friends weren't important to a prince, after all. They had no use. And even if he _wanted_ one - spoiler he _really wanted a friend_ \- no one would ever want to be friends with Zuko. _Azula_ had friends, but she was important. She had value in their family and was the personification of everything they could ever want in a child.

But it kinda sucked that even when he tried Zuko failed spectacularly. Like always.

A while had passed in silence, Zuko attempting to calm himself enough to be presentable should he face his father. It was the middle of the night, but he could never chance such a thing. He always had to be on his best behavior. He couldn't upset father like he does. If only he'd be able to show him how much he was worth, maybe Ozai wouldn't discard his son as he always did. _Maybe I can_...

Zuko's eyes snapped up when he heard quiet shuffling, staring through the mess of loose dark hairs to the cage in front of him.

The boy's eyes were trained intently on Zuko, timid yet holding an intensity that was hard for the young boy to interpret. His body uncurled stiffly from where he'd likely been for a long time.

Gold locked with blue and the boy paused abruptly, body tense and fingers curled. But when Zuko made to move other than to flicker over the prisoner's malnourished body and roam over his face he continued to move forward on his knees to where the bowl of food was pushed.

When the boy finally reached the food he leaned down to take a tentative sniff. His head jerked back and nose scrunched up until it creased his forehead.

Zuko stayed silent in fear of scaring the boy away. He briefly considered that maybe he couldn't speak, but he'd heard him make tiny sounds before so he knew he could.

Eventually the boy stretched out a hand to the bowl. It had cooled down some from when it was set out, so though it was still warm it didn't burn his hands. He held the chopsticks in place with his thumb before tipping it back to sip at.

The boy started coughing from the first taste, setting down the bowl quickly so he didn't spill and took in quick breaths.

Zuko cringed. "Sorry," he whispered when the boy's coughs quieted. "Fire Nation food is spicy."

A long while passed in silence as the boy took the bowl and moved back far from Zuko. He ate slowly, kind of coughing and gagging sometimes, and Zuko stayed quiet even though he really wanted to ask if he was okay.

Their eyes never unlocked for too long. Zuko felt a bit unnerved by the amount of attention he was being given since he was only really used to his mother's gentle gazes and the occasional days spent with his uncle and cousin. Prince Lu Ten was kinda nice, but really quiet and hardly ever sought out conversation. Prince Iroh was just _crazy_ , obsessed with the war effort and his teas. That and taking as much time off as he could whenever he could. Father called it lazy and despised the fact that Fire Lord Azulon looked on his eldest so favorably.

When the boy finished, he pushed the bowl forward towards Zuko and went back to his corner.

But this time he didn't drop his eyes.

Zuko stared quietly before sighing and pushing the stray hairs behind his ears. He rested his hands on either side of his neck and tried to give a reassuring smile. "I can try to bring something less spicy next time."

The boy's eyes scanned over Zuko before he pulled at the hem of his rusted red shirt to twist it around his fingers. He shook out his hair, still choppy and barely brushing his ears.

A small sigh pushed past Zuko's lips when the boy's eyes dropped to the grimy floor of the cage. Zuko wiggled his toes in his shoes to distract himself from the awkward silence reigning over the jail.

Zuko was never good with awkward silences. He never knew what to say on a good day, let alone in a dark cell with a prisoner that had committed Agni-knows what kinds of crimes to land him here.

"I like your hair."

The young prince winced painfully as soon as the words left his mouth. _His hair? Really?_  Perhaps Zuko truly was as inept as his family claimed him to be.

A few moments passed in the same manner before a loud snort came from the cage across from the prince.

Zuko's head snapped up to where the prisoner had his head bowed, bright blue eyes looking up from beneath long, dark lashes. Zuko's mouth opened and closed in shock as the boy's lips slowly curled into a smirk, his eyebrow twitching upwards in a silent question.

For a few seconds, Zuko didn't know what to make of the boy now. But when he made no other move, Zuko returned the grin with his own tentative smile.

_Maybe..._

_Maybe this friend thing would actually work out._

 

 

 

 


End file.
